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      Tottenham stars ‘in contact with Mauricio Pochettino about return as manager’ with Antonio Conte to be sacked in DAYS

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      TOTTENHAM players have reportedly been in contract with former manager Mauricio Pochettino about a return to the club.Pochettino has been out of a job since leaving PSG in June 2022.
      Antonio is facing the sack at Spurs after his comments following the draw against SouthamptonCredit: Reuters
      Players have reportedly been talking to former boss Mauricio Pochettino about a return to the clubCredit: Getty
      Current Spurs boss Antonio Conte is on the edge of being sacked after his scathing rant following the team’s 3-3 draw against Southampton.
      And according to Sky Sports, the club’s players have been in contact with Pochettino about a return to the club.
      It is believed that the Argentine would take the job if he was offered a return to North London.
      Pochettino is thought to have “remained on good terms” with chairman Daniel Levy.
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      The report also suggests that the manager has turned down roles in the last eight months.
      The club’s fans have made their wishes known as they chanted the former manager’s name after Spurs were knocked out of the Champions League by AC Milan.
      A video posted on social media showed them singing: “He’s magic, you know, Mauricio Pochettino.”
      The 51-year-old was sacked by Spurs in 2019 after a five-year spell at the club and replaced by Jose Mourinho.
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      Despite not winning a trophy for Spurs, he guided the club to four consecutive Champions League finishes in his previous spell in charge of the club.
      Prior to his arrival, Spurs had finished in the top four in just two of their previous 22 seasons in the Premier League.
      He also took the club to the Champions League final in 2019, but Liverpool prevailed as they won 2-0.

      After replacing Tim Sherwood in 2014, Poch took charge of 293 games, winning 159, losing 72 and drawing on 62 occasions.
      Spurs could make several changes to their team this summer if Pochettino returns.
      Pochettino would likely want to sign players that would suit his 4-2-3-1 formation, which he used in his previous spell at the club. More

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      Mark Clattenburg claims ex-Chelsea star John Obi Mikel SWUNG for him and screamed ‘I want to break your legs’

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      MARK CLATTENBURG claimed John Obi Mikel once SWUNG for him and screamed: “I want to break your legs.”The treatment of referees by players is under the microscope once again following Aleksandr Mitrovic’s reaction to Chris Kavanagh.
      Mark Clattenburg revealed John Obi Mikel threatened to break his legs in the referee room at Stamford BridgeCredit: AFP
      The Fulham forward shoved the ref and shouted in his face in a furious tirade during the FA Cup defeat at Manchester United on Sunday.
      Now the Serbian could be slapped with a ten-match ban by the FA, ruling him out of action until the last day of the season.
      And former Premier League official Clattenburg recalled his own experience of being targeted by a player.
      Writing in his Daily Mail column, Clattenburg, 48, said: “Chelsea’s John Mikel Obi once swung at me in the referee’s room at Stamford Bridge.
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      “He screamed he wanted to break my legs and was being held back by Roberto Di Matteo and Eddie Newton.
      “In the end, Mikel only received a three-match ban for that incident.
      “I thought, ‘Are the FA taking the p***? He should be banned for the rest of the season, if not more.’
      “Mitrovic wasn’t as aggressive as Mikel, but he got physical with Kavanagh. The FA may now use him to set an example to others.
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      “Referees need to be respected at the highest level because if they aren’t, that impacts what happens at the lowest level.”
      The incident with Mikel took place in 2012 after the officials sent off two Chelsea players and missed an offside for Manchester United’s winning goal in a 3-2 victory.
      In the aftermath of the match, Chelsea accused Clattenburg of racially abusing Mikel and Juan Mata.
      The fabricated claims were dropped and Clattenburg was cleared after an investigation by the FA as Sir Alex Ferguson publicly defended the ref while opponents Wayne Rooney and Ashley Cole both said they heard no racist language.
      The former ref details the incident and the way he was treated by Chelsea in depth in his autobiography.
      Clattenburg refereed some of the Premier League’s toughest players including Roy Keane and Craig Bellamy – and even threw a boot at Jose Mourinho.
      He took charge of the Champions League and Euro 2016 finals but left England the following year to replace Howard Webb as head of refereeing in Saudi Arabia.
      The County Durham man had a stint in China and moved to Egpyt last year but fled the country for his safety after threats from fans and abuse from Mortada Mansour, the president of Zamalek Sporting Club.
      Mikel’s representatives declined SunSport’s request for comment.
      Aleksandar Mitrovic could get a lengthy ban for his reaction to Chris KavanaghCredit: Getty More

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      Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka joins four other stars including Messi and Man Utd target in reaching impressive stat this season

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      ARSENAL star Bukayo Saka’s sensational season continues to go from strength to strength.The England international, 21, bagged two goals and an assist in the Gunners’ 4-1 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday.
      Bukayo Saka is enjoying the best form of his careerCredit: Reuters
      Lionel Messi and Neymar have both reached 10 goals and assists this seasonCredit: AP
      It takes his tally for the Premier League campaign to 12 goals and 10 assists in 38 games.
      In doing so, Saka becomes just the fifth player in Europe’s top five leagues to reach both 10 goals and 10 assists this season.
      Joining him in completing the feat is Lionel Messi – who has a superb 13 goals and 13 assists to his name for Paris Saint-Germain.
      His team-mate Neymar also managed to reach the milestone before being ruled out for the rest of the season through injury – registering 13 goals and 11 assists.
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      The five players with 10 or more goals and assists in Europe’s top five leagues this season
      Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has enjoyed a breathtaking first season with NapoliCredit: Getty
      Napoli superstar Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is also on the list with 12 goals and 10 assists.
      And the final player to have hit double figures in both metrics is Eintracht Frankfurt forward Randal Kolo Muani.
      The French forward is being heavily linked with a £105million move to Manchester United off the back of his brilliant form.
      Saka is the first English player to achieve the feat in Europe’s top five leagues this season.
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      And his brilliant form has helped Arsenal open up an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.
      Saka is now set to feature for England in their upcoming internationals against Italy and Ukraine.
      Gareth Southgate has a host of in-form forwards to choose from including Harry Kane, Saka, Phil Foden, Ivan Toney and Jack Grealish.
      Marcus Rashford is another England man firing on all cylinders, but he withdrew from the squad on Monday through injury.
      Randal Kolo Muani is being linked with Manchester United after a stellar run of formCredit: Getty More

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      I played for Man Utd and Sir Alex Ferguson offered me £100k to retire before quitting and being nicknamed ‘God’

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      PAUL MCGRATH has revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson once offered him £100k to retire from football.The legendary defender played for Man United between the years 1982 and 1989.
      Paul McGrath was offered £100k to retire from football by Sir Alex FergusonCredit: Alamy
      Sir Alex was not impressed with his drinkingCredit: Getty
      He instead moved to Aston Villa, where he was often hailed as ‘God’Credit: Getty Images – Getty
      But his manager Sir Alex was less than impressed with him and United striker Norman Whiteside’s drinking, which led to the offer of retirement.
      McGrath told The Telegraph: “Sir Alex got me into the room and just said ‘we’d like you to stop playing football’.
      “Simple as that. And he said they were willing to give me £100,000 to quit playing football altogether and just go back to Ireland. 
      “I was thinking about it because £100,000 back then was quite a lot of money.
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      “But I spoke to Kevin Moran and Bryan Robson, and I just said I wanted to play on because I thought I could still do something in football.
      “So Gordon Taylor, who was at the PFA, went into Sir Alex and said ‘Paul’s playing on, you can fine him, you can do what you want but he’s going to play football – here or somewhere else’.
      “It wasn’t a shock really because we were acting up a bit back then.
      “We had a bit of fun but we overdid it, so then he just wanted me out of the club.
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      “Then Bryan Robson was having a barbeque at his house and suddenly Graham Taylor was on the phone saying ‘can you come up to Aston Villa’ and I jumped at the chance.
      “I thought ‘Jesus, I can play there every week’.”
      McGrath’s move to Villa was a success as he became a legend at the club during his seven-year spell.
      While playing at Villa Park, McGrath was often nicknamed “God” by his fans.
      However, he did admit that he thought the “man upstairs would not be too pleased about that”. More

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      New footage reveals why Harry Maguire was fuming before Man Utd’s penalty over Fulham in FA Cup

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      FRESH footage from Manchester United’s FA Cup clash against Fulham has shown why Harry Maguire was furious before United’s penalty. The clash had seen Fulham take a 1-0 lead before Jadon Sancho’s strike struck the arm of Willian on the line.
      Issa Diop could be seen kicking up the penalty spotCredit: https://twitter.com/_StrettyEnd/status/1637759049729994754
      Before Harry Maguire confronted himCredit: https://twitter.com/_StrettyEnd/status/1637759049729994754
      Fulham then lost their heads, with Aleksandar Mitrovic and Marco Silva both being sent off with Willian following fierce protests.
      While all this occurred, United captain Maguire was involved in a mass of players from both teams.
      However, as he then moved towards the penalty spot, Antony told him how Fulham defender Issa Diop had been kicking up the penalty spot.
      Maguire then confronted the ex-West Ham star, repeatedly pushing him back as he tried to step back onto the spot while other United players attempted to fix the damage caused.
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      Diop was then seen debating with Marcel Sabizter and Antony, before he is seen hugging Maguire at the end of the footage.
      Fans rushed to the comments to commend Maguire.
      One user said: “You watch this and then see how much these players (Maguire, mostly) get abused when all they’re doing is defending the team and the badge.”
      A second user added: “Maguire has earned my immense respect lately. The way he has dealt with being benched by ETH, never throws a tantrum, always comes on when needed and the way he celebrated trophy with Bruno and the team, shows his character.
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      “He might not be a great defender but he’s a good lad.”
      A third added: “Fair play Maguire! Big up!🙌🏼.”
      Bruno Fernandes went on to score the penalty, kick-starting the team’s comeback as they sealed a 3-1 victory.
      The win has set up an FA Cup semi-final with Brighton, with the prospect of a Manchester derby in the final.
      Another storyline in the scuffle saw Luke Shaw and Kenny Tete cuddling during the chaos. More

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      Dream Team gaffers are all asking the same thing: where have Newcastle’s clean sheets gone?

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      THERE was a changing of the guard in Dream Team this weekend that may have gone unnoticed.Having led the way among goalkeepers since the first month of the season, Nick Pope (£4.2m) has finally been dethroned, with David de Gea (£3.9m) taking up the mantle.
      Neither man kept a clean sheet but the Spaniard leapfrogged the England international by virtue of a 7+ rating against Fulham, something Pope failed to achieve away to Nottingham Forest on Friday night.
      De Gea now holds a slim one-point lead over Newcastle’s custodian (122 points to 121) but with Manchester United still active in the FA Cup and the Europa League, it seems likely the former will finish as the top asset in his position given the extra fixtures at his disposal.
      Nick Pope with all the clean sheets he’s kept in the last two monthsCredit: GETTY
      This ascension links to a question tens of thousands of Dream Team gaffers have been asking of late: where have Newcastle’s clean sheets gone?
      The Magpies haven’t repelled their opponents since January 24th when they beat Southampton 1-0 in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tie.
      They have conceded in eight consecutive fixtures since which, naturally, has resulted in a serious drop-off in returns for Pope and the defenders ahead of him.
      Kieran Trippier (£5.8m) remains the leading asset in his position by a huge margin (67 points to be exact) but it’s notable that he’s registered just 16 points across his last eight outings – an average of two points-per-game in this spell represents a massive reduction from his season average of 5.7.
      For a long time, Fabian Schar (£3.8m) held second place among defenders but he’s recently been overtaken by Luke Shaw (£4.4m), Ben White (£4.3m) and Gabriel (£3.9m).
      The Swiss centre-back has incurred minus three points across his last eight games!
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      Still Dream Team’s top defenderCredit: GETTY
      Eddie Howe’s side still boast the best defensive record in the Premier League having conceded just 19 goals in 2022/23, six fewer than Manchester City, and no goalkeeper has kept more clean sheets than Pope but Dream Team bosses should always pay attention to recent form.
      Trippier and company have provided twice as many points as expected this season but it’s simply a fact that Arsenal, Man City and Man United defenders (even with the 7-0 thumping at Anfield) have all proved to be better options in the last two months.
      Pope, Schar and Trippier are all among the most-popular assets in their position but their backers have a decision to make during the international break.
      In regards to the England right-back, his ability to earn regular 7+ ratings without clean sheets, plus his creative output, means he’s got more credit in the bank than his peers but the others probably need to go. More

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      Tottenham ‘to be forced to pay out STAGGERING severance package’ to Antonio Conte with boss set to be axed this week

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      TOTTENHAM may have to pay Antonio Conte £15MILLION if they sack him before the end of the season, according to reports.News emerged on Monday evening that Spurs are preparing to dismiss the Italian, 53, later this week.
      Antonio Conte is reportedly set to be sacked this weekCredit: Getty
      It comes after Conte’s astonishing outburst on Saturday – which followed his side relinquishing a 3-1 lead to draw 3-3 with lowly Southampton.
      According to 90Min, there is a clause in the manager’s contract that means he must be paid £15m – the sum of his yearly salary – if he were to be sacked before the end of his deal.
      Conte’s contract expires at the end of June.
      Even if Spurs are able to get away with paying him his salary up to the end of the season, that will still mean a £4m pay-off.
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      This makes it an extortionately expensive decision for Tottenham if they do decide to axe him before the campaign’s conclusion.
      Conte has previous for securing lucrative severance payments.
      When he was sacked by Chelsea, he ended up being awarded £26.6m for unfair dismissal after taking the case to a tribunal.
      The Lilywhites will be desperate to avoid a similar scenario.
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      Spurs sit fourth in the Premier League table but have played more games than Newcastle, Liverpool and Brighton below them.
      Meanwhile, their wait for silverware has extended to more than 15 years after they were knocked out in the last-16 of the FA Cup by Sheffield United and last-16 of the Champions League by AC Milan.
      After the draw with Saints, Conte exploded with rage in his post-match press conference, saying: “They [the players] don’t play for something important.
      “They don’t want to play under pressure, they don’t want to play under stress.
      “It is easy this way. Tottenham’s story is this.

      “For 20 years there is the owner but they never won something but why?
      “The fault is only for the club, or for every manager that stays here?
      “I have seen the managers that Tottenham had on the bench.
      “Until now I try to hide the situation but not now because, I repeat, I don’t want to see what I have seen today because this is unacceptable and also un- acceptable for the fans.” More

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      How Man Utd could line up next season with Osimhen and Mitoma spearheading attack and new-look midfield

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      MANCHESTER UNITED are chasing a host of top players this summer.And they could line up in a bold new way should they land their top targets.
      Victor Osimhen could be one of three signings to turn Man Utd into title contendersCredit: Getty
      SunSport exclusively revealed Man Utd are scouting Brighton’s Kaoru MitomaCredit: AP
      Erik ten Hag has already helped himself to a trophy in his debut season after winning the Carabao Cup.
      United remain in the hunt for FA Cup and Europa League glory too.
      But Ten Hag is sure to be aiming for a title bid next term.
      And three brilliant signings would surely transform United into challengers.
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      The Red Devils are looking for a bigger attacking threat from the flanks.
      Yesterday, SunSport exclusively revealed they are scouting Brighton star Kaoru Mitoma.

      The Japan ace has been a revelation in the Premier League this season.
      And Mitoma would slot in straight away on the wing ahead of Antony and Jadon Sancho.
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      Jude Bellingham would give United a huge boost in midfieldCredit: Getty
      United also want a central midfielder despite the immediate impact of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen.
      Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong remains on Ten Hag’s wishlist after last summer’s failed move.
      But Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham is now top of the pile.
      The England star is also wanted by Real Madrid, Man City and Liverpool.
      And he would give United a focal point to build a team around for the next decade.
      Finally, Ten Hag craves extra fire power in the box.
      Wout Weghorst has proven to be a handy loan signing, with his work rate sublime.
      But a true goalscorer is needed to replace Cristiano Ronaldo.
      SunSport understands United like the look of Harry Kane — but it remains to be seen if Spurs are open to selling.
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      And that could open the door to a stunning move for Victor Osimhen.
      The Nigerian striker has banged in 25 goals for Napoli this season and is looking to take the next step in his career. More